Clay Walker just finished up his upcoming album, a release he says has been greatly influenced by radio.

"I’ve always felt like one of those people that was out front, and now I feel like one of those people that has learned so much by this explosion of what our format sounds like now, and I love it," he told The Boot during 2014 CMA Awards week. "It’s given me this huge burst of energy to go in there and make stuff that competes, sounds a little bit like [what's on radio], but has my touch."

But being influenced by radio doesn't mean that Walker's sound has changed drastically. He sees country music moving back to its roots in the future, rather than becoming more urban.

“The cool part is that it needed to change and stretch out in that direction,” he tells the News Tribune. “Now, it’s going to come back to the center. I think it was cool to head that way. I have nothing negative to say about urban. I think [country] is going to be better for it.”

This will mark the first album from Walker in three years. A release date has not yet been announced, but he says fans can expect the new music before the holidays or in early 2015.

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